Turkish authorities briefly detained a member of the European Union Parliament on Sunday amid a crackdown on LGBT pride activities in Istanbul that saw police deploy tear gas and fire rubber bullets.

Ozan Kose / AFP / Getty Images

MEP Terry Reintke of Germany told BuzzFeed News that she was picked up by Turkish police alongside a group of Turkish activists who were attempting to read a statement to reporters in violation of a ban on pride activities issued by the governor of Istanbul.

Reintke said police released her when she told them she was a member of the European Parliament, but they would not release her assistant, Felix Banaszak, nor another German activist accompanying them, Max Lucks.

Brian Sheehan

Terry Reintke is detained by Turkish police on Sunday.

"This is about fighting for freedom of assembly and equal rights; we were just supporting activists," Reintke said in a phone interview. "The repression that the Turkish authorities were showing was completely disproportionate. I'm simply shocked."